Tick Tick Boom
by Slightly Improbable
Summary: All Annabelle wanted was a break. A break from Stark, and a break from the annoyingly watchful eye patch of Nick Fury. She wanted just one week where she didn't have to run around like some lap dog. Of course, there just had to be some megalomaniac God, hell bent on world domination, there to ruin everything. Just another fun filled week with SHIELD, she supposed. OC fic
1. Chapter 1

Anna hovered around the cake, checking if it had cooled enough to be iced. Her eyebrows knitted together as she pondered over how much longer she would have to wait. She soon calculated that by the time she had finished making the icing, the cake would be ready. As she always said: baking was as much a science as it was an art.

Immediately, Anna moved on to search for the necessary ingredients. She ducked down to the cupboard and squinted at the contents. Good Lord, she needed some new organisational skills. After a minute or two of rummaging, Anna found her ingredients. She cringed at how long it took her to find them and told herself to re-shift her cupboards. Although, based on it's current state, it was painfully obvious to her that she wouldn't. Sighing slightly, she rose from her crouched position and smoothed out her apron.

Soon enough, Anna fell back into the familiar routine of making the cake icing. She used to do this most weekends, but work had quickly gotten in the way and shot that horse in the face. Yes, part of her loved her job more than anything. Not everyone was able to do what they loved and specialised in. She counted herself very lucky in that respect. And it wasn't like she could call the job boring; it was hardly the average office job or desk duty she's hear many others complain about. But that was the exact problem. It certainly wasn't a normal job where she could go home every night to a nice loving family and discuss the days work. It was more of a ' I would tell you, but then I'd have to kill you' type of deal. This is why she was so grateful for her three week break.

Now that she thought about it, she only had one week left.

"And I'm damn well going to enjoy it," she decided out loud, "I'm going to relish in the fact that everyone else has to spend the next week with The One Eyed Wonder, while I'm doing whatever the hell I want." With a final nod of determination, Anna carried on with her mixing.

She hummed in appreciation, and decided that the icing was ready for the cake. She reached over for a spatula when something glinted in the corner of her eye. Whipping her head around to the window, she was met with the sight of a black car, with windows far too dark to be legal, pulling up in her driveway. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the annoyingly familiar SHIELD logo on the side.

"The hell are they playing at…" She muttered angrily. Roughly, Anna pushed herself away from her kitchen unit and stomped towards the door. She paused for a moment as she tried to collect herself. There was no way she could just take out her frustration on whatever poor bastard they'd sent her. For all she knew, he/she could just be a new recruit. Scaring them off was, in the eye of Nick Fury, bad for business. Apparently, he didn't care how fun it was to mess with them. She could, however, somewhat understand why standing in the elevator with them, singling one out to stare at and loudly announcing 'YOU'RE ONE OF THEM' could freak them out. Especially when you factor in the small fact that they work for SHIELD.

Once Anna had finally gathered her bearings, she opened the door. The man on the other side was in the process of knocking and quickly lowered his hand before taking off his sunglasses to focus on Anna.

"Fitzgerald." He nodded his head in recognition.

"Coulson." Anna bit out. Okay, so it wasn't a new recruit; it was Phil Coulson. Now she didn't have to worry about what she said.

He squinted his eyes at her and she saw them twinkle slightly. "Nice apron," he nodded towards it and smirked, "teddy bears really bring out your eyes."

"Just for that, you're not getting a piece of cake." Anna didn't miss a beat as she narrowed her eyes at the agent.

"That's alright. It'll just go straight to my hips." He replied, completely straight faced. Anna couldn't keep up the act anymore and broke into a wide grin. She couldn't deny that she'd missed working with the slightly snarky agent. He grinned back and she was glad, because he must have missed her too.

"Come on in then," Anna gestured to the inside of her home, "I'll get you a coffee. I remember how you take it."

He thanked her and followed her inside. Anna showed him to the kitchen and told him he could sit at the breakfast bar. The cake she had mentioned previously was in front of him, along with the bowl of freshly made icing. Phil wondered if she'd put it there on purpose. He wasn't too bothered by the thought of it before, but now that it was there, and Anna was making him coffee, the cake seemed much more tempting. From the look and smell of it, it was definitely chocolate. He knew how well it would go with his coffee and silently hoped that Anna would see the light of reason.

While Phil was thinking about how he hadn't had lunch yet, Anna had already made him his coffee and placed it in front of him. She quickly moved back to her task of covering the cake in icing. If Phil asked if she was doing it deliberately to annoy him, she would deny it. Of course, she'd be lying then.

"So," Anna looked at Phil as he sipped his coffee, "I'm just taking a wild stab in the dark here, but I'm assuming this isn't just a social visit. Am I right?" She focused her attention on the cake now, because, as much as she hated it, she already knew what the answer would be.

"No, you're right about that." He said it so casually, as if her were talking about the weather. Anna felt her jaw tighten at that.

"Then what?" She questioned, tersely.

She watched as Phil put down his coffee. His face had changed to a more sombre expression and Anna's rage subsided. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair, he could feel it thinning with all the stress he was under.

"Do you remember working with the Tesseract?" Phil's tone was grave as he talked to Anna. She remembered the Tesseract, there was no way she could forget the pure energy, and absolute power it held. It was, however, only briefly that she had worked with it. Most of her work was checking it's compatibility and similarity to SHIELD's current weapons arsenal. If other races used Tesseract based weaponry, then SHIELD would make absolutely sure that the Earth was by no means out gunned.

All Anna could do was nod in response. She dreaded Phil's next words. In her mind, the Tesseract was dangerous and there was a reason for it not being Earth born.

"Last night, there was," he considered his words for a moment, but continued anyway, "let's just say a problem. To be honest with you, Anna, even we're not completely sure how it happened." He took another gulp of his coffee and launched back into his speech. "With the help of Dr Selvig, we discovered that the Tesseract has the ability to open portals."

"But portals can be opened from more than one side…" Anna interrupted, suddenly understanding.

"Exactly. Late last night, the Tesseract started giving off some odd energy signatures. Selvig said that it was misbehaving and he and his team tried to calm it down. As you can probably tell from me being here, it didn't work." Phil stopped his explanation to take another drink of his coffee, only to find that there was none left. He didn't even have to ask for more; Anna had already handed him another mug of the steaming liquid. "Thanks, I really needed this." He meant that, and he was honestly thankful. It wasn't like he could get decent coffee at SHIELD. Anna nodded in understanding.

"So, let me see if I've got this right," Anna took in a breath trough her nose and licked her lips, "Some alien decided to hitch a ride on Tesseract energy and is now running around on Earth?"

Phil snorted into his coffee. "That's the nice, simple way to put it."

Anna looked at him carefully. "What's the bad, complicated way, then?

"First, replace alien with God," Anna looked at him as if the coffee she'd given him was drugged, "No, I'm serious. Remember Thor?" He waited for an answer.

"Ummm, yeah. Giant dude with Goldilocks hair and a hammer fetish, right? Dressed like something out of a fantasy book?" She knew that she was avoiding the elephant in the room here, and that she couldn't do it for much longer.

"Yeah, just so happens to share a name with a very well known Norse God." Phil also knew what she was doing, and definitely wasn't going to let her. He raised his eyebrows at her and she sighed dramatically.

"Fine. I get it, we have a lost little God wandering around, what are we going to do about it?" Phil kept his eyebrows raised at her. "What? Have I missed something?"

"He's not just some "lost little God", Phil glared at Anna and she shrunk slightly, "he came through that portal, either killed or took most of our agents in there, stole the Tesseract, and Barton-" he stopped to take a breath and compose himself, before he went too far. He'd had more than just a rough night, and it showed.

"What about Barton?" Anna asked, she felt as if she were walking on eggshells.

"Barton's been compromised." Phil spoke, and took another swig of his coffee. Damn, that cake was looking even better right now.

"Does Natasha know?" She said it quietly, as if it were a taboo subject. In some ways, it was, she thought.

"Yes. I called her earlier and she's in."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Phil was waiting for Anna to respond, while she was still trying to digest all the knew information. How the hell could Barton, of all people, be compromised? He was one of SHIELD's best. He wouldn't just go off because he was asked nicely, even if he were threatened, he would find a way around it. Either that, or stick an arrow between the person's eyes. There was no way he could be in his right mind to go off with what could be assumed to be an enemy. Anna knew there had to be something more to this, and this new enemy had to be planning something.

"I'm in." She broke the silence and Phil snapped his head up.

"What?"

"You heard me, Phil. I'll come back a week early," She regarded him seriously as she continued, "but I fully expect to get at least two more off after all this blows over." She looked him in the eye, with a raised eyebrow and waited for a reply.

"Absolutely, I'll put in a good word with Fury." They both smiled at that. At the end of the day, they were still working people who would do anything for a day off.

* * *

Phil and Anna both drank some more coffee and chatted for a while. They mostly just talked about what she'd missed during her time off, occasionally making a joke about Fury being a pirate in a past life. Apparently Phil had spent some time working with Tony Stark. Anna felt sorry for the poor guy as she knew what it was like to work for that asshole. But she wasn't there anymore, and there was no point dwelling on the past.

They also briefly discussed this deranged God that came through the Tesseract. Apparently he was set on subjugation of the entire human race and setting them 'free from freedom'. Anna had snorted at that. World domination was so clichéd, in her opinion.

Soon enough, Phil had to leave and Anna felt slightly deflated at that. As much as she'd hate to admit it, he was a good friend and she hadn't really talked to anyone on her break. It made a nice change. But she remembered that, as of tomorrow, she'd be back working for SHIELD. The way she saw it, it was a good thing and a bad thing. It was good, because she'd be back to saving the world, and she'd actually have people to talk to. It was also, however, bad because she wouldn't be able to bake again for a while.

Anna watched Phil walking to his car when a thought suddenly struck her. He was most definitely having a bad week, last night alone was enough to send most people running for the hills. Phil needed a pick me up, no matter how small, and Anna knew just the thing. Quickly, she dashed back to her kitchen and emerged with a box. She ran down her hallway and out the door, making her way to the car.

"Hey! Phil!" Anna knocked impatiently on the window, balancing the box on one hand.

The window rolled down and Phil fixed her with an exasperated glare. His gaze switched from Anna, to the box, and back to Anna again. He raised an eyebrow at her in a question.

"Well, I thought that since I said that you couldn't have a piece of cake," she presented him with the box, "I could just give you the whole thing."

* * *

**Hey! Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**This will be my first Avengers fic, and I hope I've done well. Please read and review! Any ideas you have for me will be appreciated!**

**- Callie**


	2. Chapter 2

"Fitzgerald is in, sir. She'll be arriving tomorrow."

"Good job, Coulson." Director Fury paused to look at his monitors. They displayed footage from last night's incident. He sighed. "We'll need all the help we can get."

* * *

The next morning came around far too quickly. The sky seemed too blue, and the sun was all to bright as it's light seeped through the curtains. Anna was already out of bed hours before it had even risen. Thinking about her discussion with Coulson had set her on edge. Whoever this new threat was, they had most certainly made an impression. Not many people would - or could - charge straight into SHIELD, render Nick Fury incapacitated, steal something as powerful as the Tesseract, and get away with it. She'd have to be careful, because she definitely wasn't planning on dying at the age of 29.

Anna kept her expression stoic as she put on her standard issue uniform. She still wasn't completely happy about having to go back early.

"Phil better get me my extra two weeks." She grumbled before she went to check her reflection in the mirror.

Hmmm, not bad, she thought as she took in her appearance. Anna's peroxide blonde hair had been cropped short many years ago. This was mostly due to the fact that her work involved using harsh chemicals and explosives, and there was no way she was getting any of that in her hair. It was, however, only a year ago that she decided to follow the trend of shaving one side into an 'undercut' and letting the other grow out a little bit. Phil had made fun of her for it and nicknamed her 'Floppy'. She'd quickly reminded him that his hairline was starting to recede, and that the tiny bald patch on the back of his head was only going to get bigger. He wasn't too pleased with that, but continued to occasionally call her it, regardless of what she said. As much as it irritated her, Anna was just a tiny bit chuffed with the term of endearment.

Her lack of sleep wasn't too noticeable, Anna decided, prodding the area under her hazel eyes. For a moment, she considered using make up to make herself look more presentable. She wrinkled her nose slightly when she concluded that there was no point. There wasn't anyone in SHIELD that she was looking to impress, and it didn't matter how much make up she used, even most models would pale in comparison to the Black Widow.

If there was one thing she was looking forward to, it was seeing Natasha again. It wasn't like Anna could call them best friends, actually, she wasn't even sure that they were friends, but they were more than just acquaintances. The red headed assassin talked to Anna far more than she had seen her talk to anyone other than Barton or Fury, and in Anna's books, that counted for something. Plus, Anna had made her smile. Although, she was pretty sure she only smiled because she was covering up a laugh at Anna _accidentally _spilling hydrochloric acid on a new recruit's lap, because he was messing up her lab. I'll have that written on my gravestone, she thought, 'Annabelle Fitzgerald - Made Natasha Romanov smile and possibly laugh'.

Anna barked a laugh at her rather morbid joke. It was all too likely that she may die this week.

* * *

"So that's really him?" Anna pointed to the blonde man talking to Natasha and shaking hands with Dr Banner.

"Yeah, that's him." Phil beamed, and Anna just pretended that she didn't hear the dreamy, fan girl sigh in his voice.

"And you just told him that you watch him sleep."

"I watched him while he _slept_," He corrected her, "And that was when he was still on ice." Crossing his arms, Phil did his best not to look like he was pouting.

Anna didn't even bother to cover up the cheeky smirk on her face. It didn't matter that she'd been away for a few weeks; she still knew exactly how to press his buttons. That was something they both knew.

"So…" She started, trailing off and testing the waters. He nodded, vaguely, for her to continue. "Are you going to ask him to sign your cards?"

The effect of her words was obvious, and almost immediately, Phil swelled with pride. Just because she could press his buttons didn't mean she always would.

"Yeah, they're vintage." He needlessly reminded her. Honestly, he looked like a child on Christmas day.

"Well, I'm sure you two will be very happy together." Anna nudged him in the ribs, looking amused. He nudged her back before suggesting that they should go inside. She was about to protest until she noticed the propellers rising from ocean and shut her mouth, following him inside.

The last thing she heard was Steve Rogers asking if the Helicarrier was a submarine. She chuckled softly and smiled. He really was a man out of time.

* * *

**Woop, woop! Second chapter! I know it's shorter than the last one, sorry... Also, if anyone wants to see what Annabelle looks like, go check my tumblr, which is called a-wild-hiddles-appeared-and, and check my art tag :)**

**As usual, please read and review! Any ideas you have for me would be appreciated!**

**- Callie**


	3. Chapter 3

Natasha didn't argue when she was asked to show Dr Banner to his new lab. She knew where she was going, and guessed that Fury wanted to get Banner away before Stark showed up and pissed him off. Tony Stark had a way of doing that, even when he wasn't even trying.

The two walked in silence as the neared the lab. Looking through the window, Natasha swore she could see a pale blonde head ducking beneath a desk. She narrowed her eyes at the desk as she led Dr Banner in.

"We hope the lab is to your liking. SHIELD is up to date on all the best technology." Natasha gestured around the room, taking the opportunity to walk around one side of the desk. The tiniest smirk graced her features when she recognised the person playing lookout around the other end of the desk. With the stealth she was know for, she knelt behind the person before speaking again. "We've also provided you with a lab assistant, it would seem." She announced loudly, and swallowed a laugh when the figure jumped, falling out from their crouched position.

* * *

Anna had panicked when she caught sight of Natasha's red hair. She knew that this wasn't exactly her lab, but she couldn't resist having a look. It was definitely far nicer, with more advanced technology than her's. The boys get all the good toys…

Briefly, she wondered if JARVIS had been installed. She quickly disregarded the thought when she realised that Tony wouldn't let SHIELD anywhere near his favourite AI.

Smiling at her own brilliant hiding skills, Anna took a chance and looked around the desk. Natasha was busy talking to Dr Banner, so she was in the clear.

"We've also provided you with a lab assistant, it would seem."

The voice was far closer than expected, and was unmistakeably Natasha's. Anna hadn't heard her creeping up behind her. She cursed loudly at herself as she fell, oh so gracefully, out of her hiding place.

Straightening herself up and brushing off her lab coat, Anna turned to face Dr Banner. She'd never met him before, but she'd certainly heard of him. She knew of the Hulk, however, she also knew of his intelligence and amazing self-control. It would take more than meditation and good drugs to keep 'The Other Guy' under control.

Now or never, Anna thought as she stuck her hand out to Dr Banner, who just stared at her, presumably bemused by the whole thing.

"Uh, hi," She started, eloquently, "I'm Annabelle Fitzgerald, and no, fortunately for you, I'm not your lab assistant. I'm just really jealous of your lab." She laughed awkwardly. He just continued to look at her funnily until he noticed that she had yet to retract her hand.

"Dr Bruce Banner. It's nice to meet you, Miss Fitzgerald." He shook her hand and smiled.

"Please, just call me Anna. Even though I'm not your assistant, we'll still be working together to some extent. I'd rather we just kept things casual. That alright with you, Brucy?" Anna stopped shaking his hand and clapped him on the shoulder. He jostled slightly at the contact but loosened up eventually. Lord help him when he meets Tony, she thought.

"If you don't mind me asking, Miss Fi- Anna," He corrected himself when she shot him a rather pointed look, "What are you doing?"

Anna looked up from her pockets, which she had begun fishing around in, and stared at Bruce for a moment. She opened her mouth, pointed a finger in the air and stayed that way for a while, before finally closing her mouth and going back to the ongoing pocket hunt. Giving up on her outer pockets, she moved her hands inside her coat and, with a cry of success, pulled out a small package and turned towards Natasha.

"These," Anna handed her the package, "Are for you."

Natasha felt the weight of the package in her hands. Carefully, she pulled off the brown paper and pried the box open. Picking the contents up, Natasha turned it under the lights of the lab room. Anna had given her what appeared to be a rather chunky looking, beaded bracelet.

"Please tell me this is more than just an ugly piece of jewellery." Natasha put it on her wrist, twisting it around and scrutinising it. Bruce looked curiously between Anna and the bracelet. He was interested and wanted to see how this panned out.

"Of course it's just an ugly piece of jewellery." Anna's words oozed sarcasm. It would seem that Natasha wasn't in the mood and just glared at her. "Fine," She sighed, "You know what I do, so go test it out. Personally, I'm quite proud of this one."

Unfortunately for Bruce, he was still more than a little out of the loop.

"And… Uh… What do you do?" He had to ask.

"Y'know, I'm glad you asked that," She looked positively thrilled, and went on to continue her explanation. Natasha, on the other hand, felt she could provide a better one.

"She's SHIELD's resident mad bomber."

It was more than a little bit confusing to Bruce when Anna didn't look too offended. In fact, she looked… Proud? No, no way someone could be proud of that title. He certainly wasn't proud of being called 'The Hulk'. However, he seemed to stand corrected as Anna started to laugh off the comment.

"That's actually pretty accurate!" Anna giggled; she hadn't been called that before.

Suddenly, Natasha pressed a hand to her ear piece and Anna sobered up instantly. She heard the assassin murmur a few things back, but her lip reading was more than a little rusty, and she couldn't tell what they were.

Eventually, Natasha turned her attention back to Bruce and Anna. Her face was blank and didn't give anything away about the conversation she'd just had.

"We've found him. Loki's in Stuttgart."

That was all they needed to know.

* * *

You know that joke? The one where a super soldier, a God, Iron Man, and a master assassin all walk into the quinjet? Yeah, Anna didn't know that one either.

She'd watched the battle from up in the air, with Natasha piloting the quinjet. It had ended far sooner than she'd expected. Loki didn't seem to put up much of a fight, which she thought was rather odd after hearing his speech. Anna had definitely expect more from a self-proclaimed God.

If she said she was surprised my Iron Man hijacking the sound system and crashing into the fight, she'd be lying. There was always one thing that could be expected of Tony, and that was showing off. That, and not listening to Nick Fury. Actually, most people were guilty of that.

Currently, Anna was having a rather interesting staring contest with Mr Green and Horny. When she'd nicknamed him that in her mind, it took all of her self-control not to burst out laughing at the obvious double meaning. She highly doubted that he would appreciate the clever alias as much as she did.

So far, all he'd done was glare at her, unblinking, and unmoving. Anna's best guess was that he was trying to unnerve her enough to get her to move from her seat opposite him. Or maybe one of his godly powers was that he could make peoples' heads explode if he stared long enough. Either way, Anna wasn't about to give up that easily.

And so, she stared, and he stared back. He frowned, she frowned back. His frown deepened into a scowl, so did her's. His left eye twitched, she made her's do the same.

Quickly, Anna flicked her eyes to Tony and Steve. They were still talking. She took her opportunity and undid her seatbelt.

Loki raised an eyebrow, and she raised one back. He let out an exasperated sigh, she copied, albeit more dramatically.

With a little more exaggeration than necessary, Anna looked around in both directions and decided that the coast was clear. She rose from her chair, stood very still, and then repeated her previous looking motion. Coast was clear.

Turning to face Loki again, she saw him looking at her strangely. She copied the motion, before diving forward into the seat next to him.

He jumped slightly, looking down at his new bench buddy and resembled a deer in headlights. Actually, more like a rabid deer in headlights, as something close to rage was rolling off him in waves. His nostrils flared and Anna was wondering if he would start snarling at her soon.

She took a chance and rested her head on his shoulder. Her nose wrinkled when she thought of how long it must have been since he'd washed his hair, going by the look of it. Anna looked up at the God to see he was giving her the sort of wrathful look she'd originally expected from one.

"Somebody's got a frowny face…" She mock pouted at him.

This time he actually did snarl and turned away from her. She hear a few words she didn't understand in the snarl and assumed they were just various insults aimed at her. She just shrugged and lifted her head from his shoulder, choosing instead to rest it against the wall behind her.

A loud clap of thunder resonated throughout the quinjet. Anna felt Loki stiffen next to her as he raised his eyes towards the roof. His jaw had tightened and he was starting to remind her of a child with their hand caught in the cookie jar.

"What's the matter, scared of a little lightening?" Steve asked, noticing Loki's discomfort.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." He replied, somewhat vaguely.

It all happened so quickly after that.

Vibrations gripped the quinjet and it shuddered as something hit the roof. The door was violently ripped open to reveal a hammer wielding, muscled figure with long, blonde hair. Rain and wind followed the figure as he charged into the interior of the jet. He reached over and ripped Loki from his seat, before dragging him to the now non-existent door and jumping.

However, as the man had grabbed him, Loki had simultaneously gripped the nearest thing to him in an attempt to stay onboard.

The scream died in Anna's throat as she fell through the sky.

* * *

**Hellooooooooooo! I can't believe the response I've had to this fic so far! Thanks so much to those of you who've followed or reviewed this story!**

**The next chapter is going to take a while longer as I've only gone back to school yesterday. I hope that's okay... **

**Please read and review, thanks!**

**- Callie**


	4. Chapter 4

Anna awoke to the feeling of something nudging her head. Ignoring it, she tried to go back to sleep. Apparently, whatever was nudging her was having none of that. The soft nudge had soon escalated to what felt like a kick, but Anna was determined not to get up. It stopped. Whatever was trying to rouse her must have given up.

Quite right, she thought, if I want to sleep, I'm damn well going to sle- another, harder, boot to the head cut her off mid-thought. Anna immediately shot up into the foetal position, cradling her head and moaning obscenities.

The person who had kicked her scoffed from above. Anna cracked an eye open to see who it was, but the pain in her head forced her to close it again. Doubling over onto her knees, she rubbed at her eyes and head in vain. She took a few more deep breaths and tried again. With a dull throbbing behind them, her eyes opened and she glared up at the owner of the boot.

Loki's smirking face looked down at her and she shot him a vicious look that clearly said 'What The Actual Fuck Are You Doing'. He continued to look smug and that only fuelled her anger. No, she had to stay calm, she was a SHIELD agent and they did not blow up Gods. Even if they were a little shit who dragged them out of a plane and kicked them in the head...

"You," she choked out, "are an _asshole of monumental proportions_." Her temper had settled at a simmer, not quite boiling but by no means calm either.

"And yet you," he paused, looking superior, "are the one still kneeling." He gestured to her position and emitted a deep chuckle when she made a mad scramble to her feet. It was clear to Anna that he was baiting her, and she was already straining to keep her temper in check.

The ground became very interesting to Anna as she tried not to look at Loki. He'd known her less than an hour and he was already pushing her buttons.

Taking her eyes off the ground, Anna looked to the sky. It was still night but there was no sign of the quinjet. She looked around the area, desperately trying to find something familiar. They were standing on the edge of a cliff, and on the other side was a forest. In other words, Anna thought, I'm screwed.

She contemplated asking Loki for help. But he was gazing off into the direction of the forest, seeming to have lost interest in her. He probably wouldn't help her anyway, just take great joy in her suffering. Actually, he didn't look nearly as intimidating without his helmet, Anna pondered. Just a little odd, in need of a shower and some new social skills. Then again, she was being optimistic here.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the clearing and Anna snapped her neck around instantly. Just because she didn't find him as intimidating as before, did not mean she thought Loki to be harmless. Thinking back to her conversation with Phil, reminded her exactly what he was capable of.

To say the least, she was confused to see the God just casually walking away. Anna started trying to call out to him, but found herself just mouthing words. He had seriously just walked off, whilst she, a SHIELD agent, just stood there. She didn't know whether to be annoyed at him for ignoring her authority, or at herself for not noticing sooner.

After making a few indignant noises and obscene hand gestures, Anna stomped after Loki. In all her time spent with SHIELD, she definitely wasn't trained in 'God Babysitting 101'.

* * *

He didn't even acknowledge the fact that she was following him. Loki just continued to walk. Occasionally, he would change his pace and make random pauses. Anna was sure that he was doing it to annoy her. There were only so many times that she could stop herself before getting a face full of leather and greasy hair. Then again, that would mean he knew she was there and wouldn't try anything. At least that's what Anna hoped.

The area of forest they were in was eerily quiet. It was still dark, and there was no sign of Natasha or the other Avengers. Anna would even be thankful to see the man who'd dragged them from the plane. She hadn't put to much thought into who he was or where he went. In fact, she'd be happy if she never saw him again. It was his fault she was stuck in a forest with Mr Loco Loki, after all.

Voices could be heard from the direction the pair were walking in, and Anna silently rejoiced. The sounds weren't quite clear enough to be considered coherent yet, but something was better than nothing. At least someone will be able to hear me scream, Anna considered, eyeing Loki carefully.

He seemed to twitch at the voices. Perhaps he recognises them, Anna reasoned with herself, it could be the Avengers. The thought filled her with a short lived relief. Or maybe his Godly hearing is just far superior than your mortal hearing will ever be, and the noise is simply too foul for his precious ears, she countered bitterly.

The noises became louder and clearer, and sounded very much like fighting. A surge of adrenaline went through Anna. It had to be at least one of the Avengers. On the other hand, she wasn't sure who they were fighting. The man who dropped her there came to mind and the corners of her mouth quirked upwards. She had no problem with him getting his ass handed to him.

Breaking out of here revere, she quickly caught up with Loki. He'd started taking longer strides and was moving faster towards the fighting. Anna looked at his back warily. Shouldn't he have legged it by now? Did he want to be caught? Was this part of his master plan? Or was he just giving up?

The questions were racing around her mind, bumping into each other, causing accidents and making her even more confused. Her hand instinctively moved to her gun. She hadn't felt the need to use it yet, but right now she was seriously considering it. Although, Anna doubted that it would help much if a God wanted to snap her neck. Shuddering at the thought, she went back to playing stalker.

* * *

Another long silence echoed through the forest again. It was soon broken by voices conversing. The most recognisable voice was that of Steve Rodgers. Anna moved faster until she was almost in front of Loki. She nearly jumped for joy. Captain America was there, she didn't have to handle Loki alone.

The other voice was another matter entirely. Something about it was filling Anna with a nagging feeling. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. One thing she could say about it was that it literally spoke volumes. Whoever owned the voice was loud, and that seemed to be their only setting.

It seemed that Loki had recognised the voice too. His face had scrunched up slightly in disdain and he looked like he wanted nothing more than to turn around and get as far away as possible. He looked conflicted and a pained look flitted across his features, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Anna decided that she would put it down to the fact that he'd fallen a few hundred feet. She didn't know what else it could be, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

After what appeared to be a small mental debate for Loki, they began to move again. Fallen trees became the norm as they inched closer to the source. Some were cracked and splintered into sharp pieces, others were singed and still smoking. A few were even savagely ripped from their roots. It was a wonder that anything was left, going by the trail of destruction.

Anna could finally see an opening. An area of the forest which was clear of trees, but not naturally that way. This was the source of the madness. She managed to make out Captain America's blue spandex and another man in a red cape. They didn't seem to be fighting. That was good.

Picking up the pace, Anna pressed forward. She wasn't too bothered that she and Loki had switched stalker places as he followed her. All she cared about was that at least one hero was there to save the day. But in doing so, she didn't notice that Loki wasn't just following her.

A hand tightened around her wrist and she instantly reached for her gun. Loki's grip tightened and her other hand was batted away. Anna twisted and turned, trying to run. She grabbed the arm that was holding her and tried to make a getaway towards the clearing. Loki moved with her but still wouldn't relinquish his hold on her wrist.

Anna began to shout to Steve as she dragged herself closer. When she was almost in plain sight, she made another harsh tug on the arm holding her. She was almost pulled to the ground as she struggled further, but the God still wouldn't give up.

Another arm circled around her throat and she flailed even more. Anna began to kick and wave her other arm wildly, screaming for help. Making one last attempt as they were almost out in the open, Anna threw her whole body to one side.

Shockingly, the weight on her was lifted. A thump, followed by a grunt echoed through the clearing. Gathering herself, Anna looked in front of her. Loki was on the ground, looking like an injured cat, hissing in pain.

But I'm not nearly that strong, Anna mused, and it didn't feel like I'd shoved him that hard. It almost felt like... He threw himself...

"Annabelle! Looks like you caught him, are you okay?" Anna looked up to see Captain America jogging towards her. His expression was both proud and concerned.

"What? Uh, yeah, I'm fine... And I guess I did..."

* * *

**This took me longer than I thought... I hope it was worth it. I'm kinda stuck as to where I'm going right now... I mean, I have the ending worked out completely... Just not the in between bit. Which is kinda important.**

**It will probably end up taking even longer than this did, so I'm really sorry... Thanks to those of you sticking with this catastrophe!**

**- Callie**


	5. Chapter 5

"I don't like it," Anna repeated adamantly, "I don't like it one bit."

She heard Phil sighing next to her. They'd already been over this, several times.

"Nobody's meant to like it." He responded, the same way he had every other time she'd complained about the situation.

Anna's lips were pressed into a tight line, and her eyes seemed to be stuck in a permanently hard, frigid look. She breathed harshly through her nose and her nostrils flared with each exhale. Phil thought of comparing her to some sort of icy dragon with anger issues, but he knew that it wasn't the time. With their current situation, he doubted that she would hesitate to hide a bomb in his lunch. Actually, never mind hiding it, she'd probably just make him eat it.

Jaw tight, and arms tense on either side of the monitor in front of her, Anna looked positively lethal.

"Then why does he look so damn pleased with himself?" She demanded, pointing violently at Loki through the monitor.

He was just standing there, arms tucked behind his back. His smug face was smiling directly at the camera. It was like he just knew. But not just that they were watching him. He looked as if he knew far more than ever intended. It was that dammed smile of his, Anna concluded. There was something unnerving about it; something that made her want to run and hide; something that promised to find every dirty little secret you had buried, dangle them in your face and post them on a billboard in Times Square.

She remembered how Loki seemed to not just throw himself off of her, but how he willing gave himself to SHIELD. How he was only too happy to walk into that fish tank of his. Something was off about his actions. He was planning something, he had to be. But Anna, for all of her considerable intelligence, couldn't even hint at what it was. It was most certainly going to keep her up all night. She wished she'd taken that make-up now, bags under her eyes didn't exactly scream ready for work.

Anna felt a hand on her shoulder and snapped her head around, nearly hitting the owner. She was more than just tense. After what happened a few hours ago on the ground, she wasn't exactly feeling very touchy-feely.

Phil was looking at her with knitted eyebrows and concerned eyes. He didn't know exactly how Loki was captured after his 'escape', but he was told that apparently Anna had been the one to bring him in.

"It's only the first few hours," Phil tried to console her, "I'm sure he'll be begging for that magazine soon enough."

Anna snorted at that, she remembered Fury's little quip. Suddenly, she realised the absolute absurdity of the whole day. She couldn't help herself, laughter bubbled out of her. Covering her mouth, she tried to contain the mad giggles, but it only made it worse.

"I didn't think it was that funny, but okay..." Phil was looking at little taken aback by her outburst.

"No, no, it's not just that," Anna stopped, trying to catch her breath and calm herself, "it's just today. I mean, how many people get up in the morning and go to the office, classic nine to five drill, living their lives in blissful ignorance? And yet, here we are, sitting on and invisible air ship, surrounded by Norse Gods, living legends, geniuses, and people who could kill you with a bag of flour! It's just so- so absurd! It's sheer insanity!"

Anna's arms were waving around, gesturing wildly at everything and anything. She'd started pacing around the room halfway through her confession. Her eyes were blurry and she could feel the tears that were threatening to spill over. Looking back at Phil, she waited for a response. At that moment she felt so out of the loop, so alone, so terrified. She wanted to know that she wasn't alone in her suspicions, agitation, or in being so hopelessly unprepared. This wasn't anything she'd ever been trained for.

Something wet rolled down her cheek. Furiously, Anna rubbed at her eyes in an attempt to rid them of the tears. But they just kept coming. Her arms wrapped around herself as she choked back the sobs that were raking her body. As much as she willed it to, it wouldn't stop. That only made her cry harder, out of frustration.

She didn't hear Phil coming up to her. But as soon as she saw him in front of her, she was grateful that he did. Before she could think about it, Anna had launched herself at him in a desperate hug.

Relief flooded through her when he didn't shove her away. This only made Anna cling even harder to Phil. She needed something to assure her that the day wasn't just some mad dream, and this was it. If it wasn't for him holding her up, she felt as if she would have collapsed right there.

God, she felt like a child with their security blanket. But every child had to learn to live without it sooner or later.

Pulling her head out from his suit jacket, Anna sniffled slightly. She was done crying, and actually felt better after doing so.

Anna cringed at the mess she'd made of Phil's usually immaculate suit. Rather awkwardly, she tried to smooth it out. How she thought it would fix it, she had no idea.

"I'm so sorry, you know I don't normally do that. I can pay to get your suit dry cleaned, if you want. Actually, no, I insist. I'll even hand wash it for you. Or just get it dry cleaned, yeah, that's probably a better idea." Anna was babbling now and she knew it. Phil, however, just seemed to find it amusing.

"It's alright, you've had a rough day, and that's an understatement." He smiled at her reassuringly, and she couldn't help but smile back. "You don't need to dry clean my suit, I've had worse. And for the love of God, don't even attempt to hand wash it, we both know how that'll end. Although, I wouldn't mind some more of that cake..."

"Nice try, but we both know you've put on a little bit of weight, chubby." Anna accentuated the comment by pinching him in the side. He squirmed slightly and moved to make sure there was at least a foot between them.

"Does that give me permission to comment on your thighs?" He retorted.

"They are pillars of power."

Phil laughed at her seriousness. In his eyes, she was back to normal. As to whether that was a good thing, that was still up for debate. She stifled a yawn and Phil looked at his watch. It was much later than he'd thought.

"Alright, Floppy, I think it's time for you to go to bed. We've all had a long day." He started ushering her out the door and down the hallway. She yawned again and didn't bother to cover it up this time.

"You don't have to treat me like a child, y'know..." Anna drawled, she was tired. Everyone was.

"I will when you stop acting like one."

Anna just stuck her tongue out at him before marching dramatically towards her living quarters.

* * *

**Made an attempt at being dramatic here... Never doing that again.**

**Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Read and review!**

**- Callie**


	6. Chapter 6

It had only turned 4:30am when Anna decided to drag herself out of bed. No, she hadn't had a restless night. It wasn't a fitful evening with nightmares of green eyes and gold helmets. She actually had a dream about marshmallow bunnies. In fact, Anna was pretty much dead to the world as soon as her body fell onto the slightly too hard mattress and her head hit the pillow. Most of Anna's worries had been exhausted after her little episode with Phil. Speaking of, she thought, I should probably apologise again…

After a quick shower, Anna went to look through the clothes she'd brought. If Tony and Brucey get to wear civilian clothes, then I can surely go at least one day without uniform, she decided. A minute or two of searching went by before Anna finally emerged with a pair of tan chinos and a dark red v-neck. There wasn't anything fancy in her bag, just the basics. She quickly pulled the top over her head and tugged the trousers on, falling over a few times in her struggle. Only one pair of shoes had been packed, and those were part of her uniform. Taking greater care than with the trousers (she'd learnt that lesson the hard way), Anna laced up the muddy black boots.

A low grumble echoed through the room. Anna cringed and glared at her stomach accusingly. Sparing a glance at the clock, she checked the time. Quarter past five seemed like a decent time to get breakfast.

Anna grabbed her watch from the bedside table and slapped it onto her wrist, sucking air in through her teeth at the impact. That's gonna leave a mark, she grumbled mentally. She moved to the door, pulling it open and promptly shutting it when the cold air hit her bare arms. SHIELD really needed to know the difference between air conditioning and the frozen tundra.

A few minutes later, Anna exited the room with a dark blue shirt over the red one. She hadn't bothered to button it up though, she'd soon get used to the temperature.

* * *

Finding the kitchen was proving more difficult than Anna had anticipated. The helicarrier was literally a flying maze, and Anna wasn't particularly fond of puzzles. The corridor she was walking down was empty and she didn't like the way her boots squeaked and reverberated along it. There wasn't any reason for the quiet to bother her so much, it just did and that's the end of it. A bend in the long stretch was coming closer and Anna silently prayed that there were other agents around it. And even better: a kitchen.

Pace quickened by the prospect of other people and/or food, Anna rounded the bend. She grinned at what she saw straight ahead. Food has been located, albeit a little far away, but food nonetheless, she thought. There were also a few people standing in front of one of the rooms. Not people, Anna corrected, guards. That was enough to wipe the smile from her face as she slowed down, treading a little more carefully.

It still wasn't long before she was in front of them. Anna took the opportunity to study the door. Looks secure enough, she thought, mentally reeling off all the security measures taken. A monitor was on the wall, providing a view into the cell. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone grinning at her through it this time since their captive was facing the other way.

"Is there a problem, agent?"

The voice startled Anna and only then did she realise that she'd stopped. Looking at the guard who spoke to her, she regarded him carefully before answering.

"Nope, nothing at all." The reply seemed to be good enough for the guard, but Anna decided to push her luck, "Just curious, but how's Rudolph doing in the fishbowl?"

The guard's stoic expression seemed to falter and another one sniggered slightly, using a cough to cover it up. Anna did a little victory dance inside her head at their reactions and made a mental note to reward herself with donuts for not laughing.

"The _prisoner _is still in it's _cell. _We have it all under control."

If that reply didn't say, 'my gun has a habit of going off accidentally, wanna take a closer look', then the glare certainly did. Still, Anna was proud of herself for eliciting that sort of reaction. But, although she never mentioned it, she definitely didn't appreciate the guard calling Loki an 'it'. It's not that she liked the guy, she just didn't appreciate the guard's attitude to him. He wasn't just some animal in a cage, he was more or less a person, and, in Anna's mind, should be treated the same as any other human being. That would probably annoy him more than anything else, she thought, being treated like a mortal.

With a final glance at the door, Anna continued marching to the kitchen. This time she didn't care how loud her boots were. She just hoped that the sound would annoy her new favourite guard.

* * *

"Hmmmm…. Toast… Pop tarts… Bacon… Cereal…" Anna stretched up on her tiptoes to look in the top cupboard. Maybe there'll be more up there, she hoped as she peered inside.

Nope, nothing.

"Not exactly spoilt for choice, am I?" Anna sighed.

She decided to take a look through the different cereals. There was no way that she was going to try using one of those toasters, and cooking bacon probably wouldn't end well. So, cereal it was.

Anna had to suppress a squeal of joy when she pulled out a box of Lucky Charms. She practically rammed the box into the bowl when she poured the cereal in. Granted, she couldn't find any milk, but that didn't matter. Taking a far too large spoonful, Anna greedily rammed the food into her mouth.

"Lady Annabelle! What a joy to see you up so early!"

The booming voice made Anna jump around so quickly that she began choking on her food. Her eyes started watering as she continued to hack and cough. It was only made worse when the owner of the voice decided that the best solution was to repeatedly slap her on the back. Hard.

Eventually, Anna took in a large breath and stopped her fit. She breathed heavily for a while, hand on her throat, checking that everything was alright. Even as she straightened up, the hand stayed rested on her back.

"My deepest apologies, Lady Annabelle. I did not mean to startle you."

"Thor, do you remember when we talked about indoor voices?" Anna rasped out. She was trying to be as polite as possible, but her tone may have been less than kind.

"Yes! Of course I do, we have discussed that topic at length many times."

Apparently her tone had gone unnoticed, along with her not-so-subtle hint. Anna gave Thor a pointed nod but he just smiled down at her. Dammit, he looks like a freaking teddy bear, she thought, I can't be mad at that. He started to laugh and Anna was more than slightly confused since it wasn't the loud laugh that she was used to.

"I am only joking with you. I understand that there is a need to be quiet when indoors."

Anna considered calling him an ass, no, a _royal ass_, but decided against it and nodded, going back to munching on her Lucky Charms.

"There are some pop tarts on the shelf, if you want some." Anna offered, after swallowing another mouthful of her breakfast.

He seemed more than please with the offer and thanked Anna, reaching for the pop tarts. Apparently, he trusted the toaster more than she did. Anna supposed that it just liked him more than her.

"How have you been since we last met?" Thor broke the silence first, presumably waiting for the toaster to pop.

"I've been great, I mean, New Mexico was _interesting_ and all that… But I've been much better since then." Anna was probably a little too vague, she knew that herself.

"That's good, but are you healed?" He looked genuinely concerned. But Anna supposed that everything he did was genuine.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. Look, I'll even show you," Anna put down her almost empty bowl of cereal and shifted one arm of her blue shirt off before sliding the red one down slightly at the shoulder.

At a glance, there was nothing to be seen. However, on closer inspection, a light scarring could be seen on Anna's left shoulder, barely grazing her neck and ending roughly at her shoulder blade.

"The burns could have been much worse, so I got lucky." Anna gave a tight smile. She didn't really want to think about how bad it could have been. A few agents were still hospitalised after the destroyer came to earth. Anna was one of the lucky ones.

"I know my brother wont apologise for what he has done, so I will do so on his behalf." If anyone had mastered the puppy dog eyes, it was Thor.

"I'm sorry, but… Your brother?" Anna didn't even know that he had a brother. But, to be fair, she wasn't exactly well versed in Norse mythology. Granted, she knew a few stories, but that was it. One about an eight legged horse came to mind and Anna quickly disregarded it, seeing as it made her feel more than a bit uncomfortable. Especially considering that fact that the one featuring in the tale was currently trapped in a fishbowl.

"Yes, Loki was not in his right mind. I do not even think he is now, either." Thor looked more than just saddened by this fact.

On the other hand, Anna was still out of the loop. She needed information, and she needed it now.

"Why do you say that, if you don't mind me asking?" Anna felt as if she was walking on eggshells.

Thor sighed heavily, he looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He took a long pause before telling Anna of the events that had transpired before and after New Mexico.

* * *

Honestly, Anna had no idea how to react to the tale. She considered that Thor might be lying to her, but one look in his eyes told her otherwise. He cared for his brother, that much was obvious. And, strangely, Anna started to feel herself caring for him too.

But only slightly.

Anna couldn't quite bring herself to automatically forgive him for all that he'd done by saying that 'he's just misunderstood'. No, she couldn't possibly do that. She could, however, understand, if only a little. Anna understood about bad parenting since she wasn't exactly on speaking terms with her father.

But being told about these so called 'monsters' all your life, learning to hate them, to even fear them, and then finding out that you are one of them… That was something Anna couldn't even begin to imagine. She tried as hard as she could, but there was no way for her to recreate that kind of pain. In fact, she wasn't even sure she wanted to.

They were both silent for a long time. Neither of them knew quite what to say afterwards.

Finally, Anna put her empty cereal bowl into the sink and turned to exit the room.

"Are you alright? Where are you going?" Thor's voice reached Anna's ears and she turned back around.

Her expression was kept carefully blank when she looked back before replying, "I'm fine. I just left something in my room."

Anna's face may not have given anything away, but her voice was thick and she swallowed the lump rising in her throat. Hastily, she exited the kitchen and didn't look back.

* * *

**This took wayyyyyyyy longer than I'd hoped... Anyway, hope you liked it! **

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**

**- Callie**


	7. Chapter 7

Click.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Click.

There was something calming about it, though she wasn't sure what. Watching the flame rise and fall with just a slight of hand relaxed her. It shouldn't, really. Especially when she thought about how much pain it had caused her previously. But holding the small lighter in her hand, and having the ability to control the fire, no matter how small, calmed her. Anna had control over it this time. A luxury that she didn't always have.

Her mind travelled back to New Mexico and she twitched unconsciously. The only reason Anna was sent on that mission was so she could have more experience with field work. That, and there was the incident with her being required to look after new recruits that didn't end too well. But then again, New Mexico didn't end with a 'Happily Ever After' either.

Staring at the small lighter in her hand, the flame almost seemed to grow. It grew until it wasn't just a spark; it was a sea of roaring flames. The lighter was now no longer a lighter. It was a giant, shining metal monster. And the fire poured from within it, chasing her, seeking her out. Cars were being brutally upturned with the force. Agents were shouting, swearing, and clutching at their tiny guns, pointing them at the beast. The bullets ricocheted, the cars exploded, people ran, and the screaming wouldn't stop. The fire was close, close, closer, closer still. It was burning, searing, bubbling, painful, so painful, excruciating-

Anna abruptly snapped the lighter shut, bringing herself back to reality. Her breath was still coming in short bursts and her heart was still racing. But the fire was gone and she wasn't still burning. She leaned forward, placing her head in her hands. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she shook off the memory. Her fingers knotted themselves into her hair and Anna took deep breaths, calming herself.

SHIELD had her sent for a psychological evaluation afterwards, but they said she was fine. Not perfect, but she was still fit to work and she could have been worse. So that's what she told herself. She was fine, and it could have been worse.

Sighing, Anna put the lighter back into her pocket and reclined back into her chair. She'd started exploring the helicarrier again after she left Thor in one of the kitchens. On her way, she'd found one of the break rooms, and was thankful because it was empty of people, and there was a coffee machine. Not decent coffee, but coffee nonetheless.

Honestly, she just needed some time to think, and to digest the new information she'd just received. It was just so… So absurd! However, she'd already come to that conclusion long before her chat with Thor. But this new found knowledge was just the icing on the cake.

Maybe she shouldn't have left Thor in the kitchen. It seemed selfish to her now to have left him after he offered up all that information. After all, it's not like she had a right to know. And now that she did know, she wished she didn't.

Anna wondered if the others knew. They had to, she thought. This information was important to figuring out how this mess happened. That is, it was important if Fury wanted to know why it happened. Maybe he wasn't concerned with the why, and everything was just a means to an end. No, she shook her head, Fury had to have his eye patch in this. However, if he did know about Thor and Loki, why hadn't he said anything?

Then again, maybe Fury thought that it would be best if no one knew and he was trying to cover it up. But what reason would he have for doing that? Not knowing anything about the enemy other than that they're the bad guy would make things easier, Anna thought. Even she had felt a tug on her heartstrings when she'd heard the tale from Thor. But that hadn't changed anything. Perhaps she had started to sympathise with Loki. Just a little bit though.

No, none of this had changed her ability to do her job. So that idea was useless and she'd just wasted a whole three minutes thinking about it.

The only reasonable option here was that Fury didn't know. No, there was something wrong with how that sentence sounded. Fury always seemed to know. However, Anna considered, there was always room for an exception or two.

A rather inhuman noise of irritation escaped Anna's lips and she sunk further into her chair. She snorted slightly at the noise, thinking that must be what pterodactyls sounded like.

Propping her feet up onto the table in front of her, Anna accidentally upset some of the magazines. She watched in vague irritation as they slid onto the floor. Groaning at having to move, Anna pushed herself out of her chair a stooped to pick up the fallen magazines. Might as well have a look, she thought as she picked them up.

"Well, I didn't peg Fury as a fashion follower," she mumbled, looking at a few fashion magazines and flicking through them briefly. She mumbled something about a 'Sassy Gay Pirate' as she did so before choosing to inspect the others. The rest of them were fitness magazines which were pretty standard for what she'd expect from SHIELD.

"Fashion, fashion, fitness, _mens _fitness, health… Cooking? Fashion, gossip, Horse & Hound, newspaper… Wait, _Horse & Hound?" _Anna stood back up, staring at the magazine in her hands.

After a moment or two of rearranging the items on the coffee table, Anna fell back into her chair. She sipped her coffee idly and grimaced at the taste. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good. Honestly, what did they make this coffee with, sand? Also, it didn't help that whilst she was busy thinking and rearranging magazines it had gone cold. She blamed the air conditioning.

She remembered the magazines and leaned forward to look again. Reaching out, she picked up one at random and flicked through it briefly. Of course, I pick up the odd one, Anna thought, thumbing the pages of Horse & Hound.

A slow smile started to spread across her face as an idea formed in her mind. She needed more information, and she knew how she was going to get it.

It could possibly get her killed, or worse, fired, but she was sure that this wouldn't be the worst thing she's ever done or will do.

* * *

**Yeah... This took me a while, sorry about that! Anyway, I wrote a quick little one-shot with Annabelle which you can find on my page if you so wish to read it. It's about the incident with the new recruits ;)**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

**- Callie**


	8. Chapter 8

Despite the fact that he believed his plan was going rather well, being left to wait in the cell originally designed for Bruce Banner's other half could drive a man insane. There were only so many times that he could stare at SHIELD's cameras, grinning from ear to ear in the hopes of unnerving some poor agent. In the end, it had quickly lost its entertainment value.

He grew restless, and began pacing the cell. After making a few circles, Loki sighed loudly and turned back to the bed in the back. To be honest, it felt and looked more like a table. He lay down it and faced away from the door. Perhaps the agents monitoring him would be confused at his sudden lack of interest.

A loud sliding sound of a door opening bounced off the cell and echoed through the room. It was accompanied by the loud squeaking of boots on the floor, and a few bangs as if the person was having trouble standing up. Loki looked up as it closed, scrutinising the one who had entered.

They were still facing the door, trying to straighten up and possibly wondering whether entering was actually the brightest idea they'd ever had. Well, he would soon show them, he thought, sizing them up.

They had short hair, which was an almost white blonde colour; a loose fitting dark blue shirt; tan trousers shoved into, slightly grubby, standard issue boots; and they looked to be around 5ft 8".

After that brief analysis, he concluded that they must just be another SHIELD agent sent to interrogate him. Judging by the lack of uniform, the agent must have been told to try and be more informal - to try and appear as a friend and tempt him with ideas of freedom and other lies.

No matter, he thought, not even SHIELD's best could trick him. He was _the _trickster. He practically _invented _lying.

Actually, now that he really thought about it, this new agent may just be a blessing in disguise. He was terribly bored, and this new opportunity was not without its entertainment values.

Perhaps this day would be interesting after all.

This promising thought was immediately vanquished, however, when the short haired agent whipped around and caught his eyes.

Oh, so it was _her. _

The God smirked. She was the same agent who'd had the audacity to go so far as to touch him. The same one who he'd allowed to 'capture' him.

This changed things entirely.

* * *

"Brilliant plan, Anna." She muttered, standing outside the door. "Just waltz in there, sit down, have a nice chat, don't get yourself on his personal hit list or brainwashed, and he'll magically spill his guts to you. Yup, fantastic, you're a genius." Her last sentence was dripping with sarcasm as she nervously hopped from one foot to the other, fiddling with her hands.

No, she thought, this was my idea, and I'm going through with it. Besides, this is the only time I'm going to get access to the fishbowl, might as well try. She didn't actually know where her favourite guard and his partner were, but she was thankful that they weren't there.

Briefly, she focused on the monitor outside the door. The cell's occupant was currently laying on his bed, but there was no way to tell if he was really asleep.

Anna felt completely frazzled, and her thoughts were everywhere. Maybe it was the coffee. For all she knew, SHIELD might have been experimenting with it. In which case, that would explain the taste.

Now she was just getting side-tracked, and she was doing it on purpose too. It had seemed like such a great plan, in theory, when she came up with it 20 minutes ago. However, now that she was almost inside, her body seemed to be doing the exact opposite of what she'd wanted it to do.

Anna's breath kept catching in her throat, and her stomach was doing its own acrobatics show down there; there was an immense pressure inside her head, and she could feel it pulsing throughout her mind, making it difficult to think rationally. She scrunched her eyes shut and kneaded them with the heels of her palms.

No, she couldn't go through with this.

Abruptly, Anna turned back to the corridor before preparing to march back to the kitchen for lunch. There was a squeaking of boots in the corridor, unfortunately, they weren't hers.

"Balls!" Anna hissed through her teeth. There was no way that her leaving the door to the fishbowl wouldn't look suspicious.

She started to run simulations in her mind of her different options, but so far none of them had a very pleasant outcome. Except for one… No, she'd already decided that that was a bad idea. But the cameras in there only really focused on the cells occupant and a small perimeter around it… And if she was really struggling, then it would be easier to fake being lost if she was inside…

The squeaking thud was getting louder and she could now hear voices to go with the feet.

Backing up into the corner between the door and the wall, Anna tried to make herself seem as small as possible. Maybe they'll just walk past. Maybe they won't notice her. Maybe they were born yesterday.

Anna heard a small click come from near her right shoulder, and suddenly the wall she was leaning on started to move. Actually, make that door. The door was opening. And she was falling.

Well shit.

* * *

Skittering around on the floor, accutely aware of the noise she was making, Anna attempted to right herself.

This was not what she had planned. It wasn't all that great of a plan anyway, in hindsight. It was more of a fanciful thought that she'd go in there, maybe act a little intimidating or friendly, and get Loki to spill everything. And by the end of it we'll braid eachother's hair and gossip about the boys we like, she mentally snarked.

Shit, Loki.

Anna stiffened, eyes the size of Tony's ego, facing towards the doorway and doing her best to appear inconspicuos. No, the weeping angel impression definitely wasn't working. Unless Gods of Mischief were deaf, dumb and blind then she'd obviously been spotted.

Guess there's nothing left to do but face the music and go through with this thing, she decided begrudgingly. She had to do it quickly, though, like striking a match.

Anna almost gave herself whiplash with how quickly she turned around. But she was going to do this. She had to do this. She needed those Goddamn answers.

Burning hazel eyes met unnatural green ones in a split second. However, as soon as contact was made, every tiny bit of conviction or resolve that Anna had fled from her being. It was replaced by pure, unadulterated fear.

He was smiling again. Lips stretched into a paralysingly knowing smirk. There was no way to wipe that damnable look off of his features.

She couldn't do it.

Even he knew she couldn't do it. It was written all over his smug face.

Courage and dignity be damned, Anna escaped as quickly as she could.

She didn't enjoy being observed like a fish in a tank.

* * *

**Hey, so, uh... don't kill me.. maybe?**

**I know it's been ages since I updated this. Okay, _last year _was the last time I updated. But I got distracted, a lot. I've actually just finished my standard grade exams if that explains anything... and yet I found time to start a Les Miserables fic! Yeah, check that out if you want 'cause that isn't shameless self-promotion. By the way my tumblr has changed to hannibubble-the-cannibubble if you wanna check that out too and send me any asks pertaining to this, or about anything really.**

**Honestly, I just couldn't get back into the swing of this for a while. Does anyone else get that? Let me know I'm not the only one!**

**I promise you that this fic will be finished! It will not be one of those that sit on the shelf growing mould for years. The ending is worked out, and I have an idea where I'm going with this, so that's a major plus.**

**Bad news is I'm going back to school tomorrow so please for the love of Norse Gods don't expect regular updates. I'm really sorry about that, by the way.**

**Okay, so thank you for reading! And thanks to those of you who have stuck with me whilst I procrastinate and start to write horrifically long author notes! **

**Also please review down in the little box 'cause I love to hear what you think!**

**- Callie**


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